A senior PAS leader has described Lim Kit Siang’s offer for their respective parties to cooperate in order to defeat BN as a “cheap political drama”.

“Send our regards to YB Lim, (tell him) that PAS’ principles are not a ‘costume’ to be paraded on DAP’s stage,” PAS information chief Nasruddin Hassan told Malaysiakini.

Nasruddin also noted how PAS had been “abandoned and attacked” twice by DAP, first when the two parties were allies in Barisan Alternatif, and later in Pakatan Rakyat.

“PAS is not thrilled by the cheap political drama presented by DAP. Enough with being treated by them in that manner twice.

“PAS is ready to achieve the aims of our struggle without the DAP we know of today. We have drafted our roadmap to GE14 success without DAP, which had betrayed us,” he added.

Nasruddin also questioned whether Lim’s latest offer stemmed from desperation, as opposed to working for the betterment of the nation.

The veteran DAP leader reportedly extended the olive branch over the weekend, and asked if PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was prepared to ink an agreement that the topmost priority of GE14 was to save Malaysia from becoming a failed state.

However, Nasruddin said Abdul Hadi and PAS remained committed to establishing a prosperous and just nation through the implementation of Islamic laws.

“PAS has never wavered from this foundation and principle - to struggle to establish a nation free from corruption, oppression, and abuse of power,” he said, adding that the party is open to cooperating with all parties that respected its stand.

Pua: Time to move on

Meanwhile, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua insisted that PAS’ rejection proved the Islamic party’s lack of seriousness towards the larger agenda of saving Malaysia.

Pua said that while Lim had taken a risk by making the offer, the issue of a backlash from DAP supporters did not arise as PAS was expected to turn it down.

“The reason Lim raised the issue was primarily for parties that have not given up on trying to unite the opposition with PAS.

“We (DAP) don’t have a problem if the main goal is to take down a corrupt and kleptocratic government. There are people who have not given up (on joining hands with PAS), so we said okay... Now, let PAS answer,” Pua told Malaysiakini.

Since PAS’ response showed that it did not consider defeating a “corrupt government” as important, forming a united opposition would not materialise, he added.

Quizzed on the timing of Lim’s offer, Pua said DAP has consistently raised the same point in the past, but it was repeated as there were still parties “that refused to give up” and some opposition supporters had blamed DAP for the situation with PAS.

“Lim’s offer was to prove it is not DAP’s problem. And their answer proves it is PAS’ problem,” he said.

Therefore, Pua urged other opposition parties to move on and instead work on strategising how to deal with three-cornered fights with PAS and BN in the coming general election.

MCA: Lim must explain past betrayal

In a separate statement, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wee Ka Siong urged Lim to clarify his position on cooperating with PAS in the past before expressing intentions to meet with MCA or Gerakan.

“Due to DAP empowering PAS, our nation has landed in this situation.

“Now, under the guise of ‘saving the country’, DAP keeps changing its statements, which leaves it totally untrustworthy,” said the MCA deputy president.

Wee claimed DAP had in the past “whitewashed” PAS’ hardline stance for the sake of votes.

“Lim, please clarify as to why you betrayed the non-Muslim community in the first place,” he said

Responding to critics, Lim denied that his olive branch to PAS was an act of hypocrisy, and that he was even willing to meet with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak or other BN leaders, from MCA and Gerakan as well, on the same agenda to save Malaysia.